Art enthusiasts and inquisitive individuals can experience and discover new art up-close at Bistro La Piazza. Artists and painters regularly exhibit their works in the Bistro, and let you share in their works of art while enjoying a casual drink or meal.
PETER KOHL. The pink plush observer
WOW! The artist Peter Kohl exhibits in Merano, in our Bistro La Piazza. Peter Kohl, born 1971 in Klagenfurt, is one of the most extraordinary pop-art artists of our time.
His new works will be presented at Bistro La Piazza from April 2025, including those from his latest series of paintings Au hasard Balthazar, inspired by the 1966 film of the same name by Robert Bresson. The story of Maria and her donkey Balthazar is a wonderful exploration of human existence and an allegory of life and transcendence. Peter Kohl explains: ‘The proximity of this film “Au hasard Balthazar” to my approach to understanding this world with the means of my art has touched me deeply. The human being as a part of this world, who carries both good and evil within him. In the constant struggle between these two powerful poles, we have created systems that are anything but perfect. Democracy, dictatorship, religions offer us forms of life that we can, may or must live. Life happens in between, producing both joy and infinite suffering. (...) Balthazar a stuffed donkey? A removal from the cycle of suffering through trivialisation. Is that possible? In my world, Balthazar encounters suffering as a trivialised material donkey. He is no longer directly affected. A silent observer made of plush, covered by a field of flowers, a new context emerges.’
The works of art can be admired and, of course, purchased directly in the Bistro La Piazza.